%22%20%2F%3E%3Cmeta name=%22google-site-verification%22 content=%22SHd6wV3FE08L0Z_YGzpdOhQKsnjPpN5ak8aX7Js1YpI;

 
Summer Skin Care, Make-up and Health Tips
 
Summer Care
Looking your best is a goal that is achievable year-round, but the same beauty routine you followed during the fall and winter may no longer apply for the warmer weather months.  Keep your cool with these basic beauty tips to adjust yourself to the dog days of summer.

Humidity and hot weather go hand in hand, so your skin may not need the same amount of moisture that it did back in December.  Make the switch to a lighter moisturizer to avoid excess oil and unwanted breakouts.

Participating in outdoor activities or just soaking up the sun is what makes summertime so enjoyable. Whether you're playing a game of beach volleyball or simply taking a leisurely stroll, don't forget to protect your skin from the sun's dangerous ultraviolet rays. The last thing that you want to do is allow the sunshine to harm your skin or age it prematurely.  When outside always wear a sunscreen with a minimum SPF of 15 on all exposed areas of the body including the lips, neck and hands.  Try our  Motives Sunscreen.  The formula is specifically formulated to provide SPF 30 protection and can be added to your Custom Blended Foundation or Daily Moisturizer.
 
Since avoiding the sun completely is almost impossible, there is a good chance your skin tone will change to a slightly darker shade during the summer. To adjust to your new hue, your custom-blended foundation may need to be adjusted to a darker color to match your deeper skin tone.

Heavy foundation in the summer is unnecessary and is certain to melt away.  For lighter coverage and a dewy appearance, add a few drops of water or moisturizer to thin out your custom-blended liquid foundation or try our New! Motives Custom-Blended Tinted Moisturizer.  This will give you minimal coverage along with moisture and sun protection.  If you feel foundation is necessary, limit it's application this time of the year to the center of the face, steering clear of the hairline.  To keep makeup from fading in the humid summer months experts also recommend dusting a powder over your cleansed face before applying foundation to achieve longer-lasting coverage.  Try Motives Oil Control Blotting Powder for oily skin, Motives Mineral Powders for dry and normal skin, or Motives Bronzers and Motives Color Swirls for added color on all skin types.  

Apply the powder over eyelids as well to soak up additional oil before putting on eyeshadow. This sets the shadow in place and prevents creasing.

Switch to Motives Waterproof Mascara.  It stays intact and looks fresh even after a dip in the pool.

For luscious lips think soft and shiny. Update your look with sheer colors that offer a hint of bronze, gold, pink or apricot.  Dab it on and top it off with a shimmering gloss.  Motives Lip Shines in Ginger Blossom, Dahlia, Sweet Pea, and Snap Dragon are perfect choices and compliment all skin tones.  For a more natural look try a nude-colored lip pencil such as Motives Lip Pencils in sand or cameo with a sheer color on top using Motives Lip Plumpers, or apply a very small amount of foundation over well-moisturized lips and finish with a shseer tinted gloss such as Motives Lip Plumpers in colors wish, hope or believe.
 
  
SIMPLE, SEXY SUMMER MAKEUP  WebMD Feature from "Marie Claire" Magazine

The hottest trend in makeup for summer is natural and bare. And believe us when we say this barely there look is anything but boring. The trick to making it sizzle?  Pick a palette that matches the natural color of your eyes and lips, and use it to play up everything from your cheeks to your eyes.

 
 IF YOUR SKIN IS FAIR
EASY HOW-TO'S:  Start by priming your face with foundation, only where necessary (usually around the nose and T-zone). For extra-sheer coverage, dilute your Motives Custom-Blended foundation with a drop of moisturizer or water, or use an opalescent base such a Motives Fluid Silk Foundation, which will also add a bit of shimmer. Next, define and fill in your lips with a dusty pink liner, such as Motives Lip Pencil in Cameo, and top with a nearly translucent gloss such as Motives Lip Plumpers.   Last, swipe an earthy eyeshadow, Motives Eyeshadow in Cinnamon, Brown Mist or Bora Bora across your lids and apply a few quick coats of mascara.
 
TIP:  People with fair coloring can appear to have red eyes, since the contrast between pale skin and the inside rim of the lower lid is so extreme. To camouflage, conceal the inside the rim with your Motives Concealer or Motives Eye Base.
HAIR HELP:  The fastest way to tame thick, wavy hair in the summer is to slick back the top and sides with a pliable product, like Bumble and Bumble Styling Wax, then gather the rest in a low ponytail, says hair pro Rodney Groves for Kérastase.

 

IF YOUR SKIN IS MEDIUM
EASY HOW-TO'S:  Begin with a thin veil of Motives Fluid Silk luminescent foundation that draws out the golden undertones in your skin. Add a bit of intrigue by dabbing a pinkish-brown, multiuse cream on your lips, cheeks, and eyelids such as Motives Lip/Cheek Tints.   Finish by layering on Motives Waterproof Mascara  and a rose-beige gloss such as Motives Lip Shine in Pink Clay.
 
TIP:  "Accessorizing" your face with a slate-toned shadow applied as closely as possible to the base of your upper lashes.  Try Motives Eye Shadow in Wicker Basket as this will embellish your eyes without adding loads of color.

HAIR HELP:  To create a head-turning look without a major time investment, keep your hair "wet" by spreading a megahold cream, like Kérastase Nutrative Vinyle Nutri-Sculpt, to freshly washed locks using a wide-tooth comb. To truly flatten the little flyaways around your hairline, try hairstylists' favorite secret weapon: Tancho Tique.
 
 IF YOUR SKIN IS DARK
EASY HOW-TO'S:  First, smooth Motives Custom-Blend liquid foundation on your face to prevent ashiness. Next, dust Motives Bronzing Powder across your forehead, cheeks, and nose and onto the tip of your chin for a believably sun-kissed effect.  Finally, blend a bit of burgundy cheekcolor onto your apples using Motives Pressed Blush in Autumn, and add a deeper but matching gloss to your lips, such as Motives Lip Shine in Rose Quartz.

TIP:  Keep your eyelids in the same color family as the rest of your face with a grape shadow, such as Motives Eye Shadow in Moonlight Mauve or Eggplant.

HAIR HELP:  To prevent African-American hair from getting too dry in summer, use leave-in conditioner in place of harsher gels or sprays when styling hair. Try Pantene Pro-V Relaxed & Natural Daily Oil Cream Moisturizer.

 

 NUDE NAILS

 

EASY HOW-TO'S:  We've all done it.  In an attempt to find just the right nude nail polish, we've gone either too sheer or too opaque (and let's not even get into streaks). To nail a nude mani, New York City manicurist Sofia Shusterov-who perfected the threetiered "French" shown at right-suggests using a ridge filler (such as Seche Vite Ridge-Filling Base Coat) rather than a clear coat as your base. It keeps anything you put on top from appearing streaky. For the most flattering effect, pick a hue that contrasts slightly with your skin tone. If you're light, go for dark beige, and if you're dark, pinks or whites are better. If you're medium (like the hands shown here), a variety of tones work.

 
TIP:  To master your own triple-dipped manicure, apply ridge filler, then three different shades in stripes across your tips, from darkest (at bottom) to lightest (on top).
 

Cool your skin with water Ayurveda style

Summer has its own set of beauty risks.  Increased heat can bring an imbalance of pitha dosha, the mind-body operator that governs hormones, digestion and other metabolic processes in the body. Hence it is important to stay cool and hydrated to help prevent summer breakouts and rashes. Here are a few tips for keeping your skin looking great in summer.

Drink cooling spice water.  Drinking six to eight glasses of water a day is important for flushing out toxins.  And in summer, try to keep replacing fluids that may be lost to perspiration. One can get extra cooling and purifying impact from the water by adding a few herbs and spices.  Avoid drinks that dry out your skin.   Sure, those caffeinated drinks look thirst quenching on TV, but the fact is that caffeine actually dehydrates the body.   Alcoholic drinks are even more dehydrating.   Both caffeine and alcohol are toxic to the liver.   When the liver becomes over loaded, it can no longer do its job of screening out toxins from the nutritive fluid.  At this point, digestive toxins and more harmful impurities start to circulate to the tissues and organs of the body.  One of the first signs of toxins in the liver is dull, dry and lifeless skin.   Non-caffeinated carbonated drinks also disrupt the digestion, and are a major cause of toxins.   Ice-cold drinks are also to be avoided, as icy foods and drinks completely douse the digestive fire, again leading to toxins that detract from healthy skin.   Treat yourself to healthy herbal tea, such as pitha tea, cooled to room temperature.

Try some fresh apple juice or pear juice made with sweet ripe fruits as a snack.  To make lassi, use one part freshly-made yogurt and blend with three parts water.   Eat foods that hydrate the skin.  Eat a diet that helps cool pitha dosha and helps purify and hydrate the skin.  Start by eating at least one sweet, juicy fruit a day. Ripe summer fruits such as peaches, nectarines, plums and pears are exactly what your skin craves in the hot season.  Not only do they provide an excellent source of moisture, but also cool pitha dosha, and help purify the skin.  Tree-ripened, juicy summer fruits convert almost immediately into ‘ojas’, which shows up in your skin as a radiant complexion.

Summer Water Recipe:

Boil two quarts of water for two minutes. Take it off the heat and add 1/4 t. fennel seed, two rose buds, and one clove.

Store it hot inside a thermos, but before drinking pour it into a cup and let it cool to room temperature. The herbs in this formula not only cool pitha dosha, but if used over time they help stimulate digestion and cleanse of the body, allowing the water to hydrate the deeper layers of the skin.